Enyart issued a statement that he "will work tirelessly" against new mandates "that will increase energy costs, and decimate our Southern Illinois coal industry in the process." The 12 counties that make up the [[Illinois' 12th Congressional District|12th Congressional District]] once comprised the heart of the [[Illinois]] coal industry.<ref name="coal"/>

Enyart issued a statement that he "will work tirelessly" against new mandates "that will increase energy costs, and decimate our Southern Illinois coal industry in the process." The 12 counties that make up the [[Illinois' 12th Congressional District|12th Congressional District]] once comprised the heart of the [[Illinois]] coal industry.<ref name="coal"/>

Based on analysis of multiple outside rankings, Enyart is a more moderate left of center Democratic Party vote. As a result, he may break with the Democratic Party line more than his fellow members.

Biography

Enyart grew up in Tuscola, IL, where he attended school. He won a scholarship to the University of Illinois, but left after one year.

He joined the United States Air Forced in 1969 and left active duty to attend Southern Illinois University (Edwardsville) where he studied political science and journalism.

After he graduated he worked for the Belleville News-Democrat which then led him to enroll at the Southern Illinois University's School of Law. He worked at his own practice for some years before going back to school and earning his master's degree from the Army War College.

He joined the Army National Guard in 1982, and his master's degree gave him the rank of General, and he became the adjutant general of the state National Guard.[5]

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Enyart's professional and political career[5]:

Key votes

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 114 out of the 3,036 introduced bills (3.8 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[8] For more information pertaining to Enyart's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[9]

National security

DHS Appropriations

Enyart voted against HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act (2014) Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.[10]

Keystone Pipeline Amendment

Enyart voted in favor of House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.[10]

CISPA (2013)

Enyart voted in favor of HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill would allow federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities.[11] The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.[10]

NDAA

Enyart voted in support of HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.[10]

Economy

Farm bill

On January 29, 2014, the U.S. House approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill.[12] The bill passed by a vote of 251-166. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that would kick in when prices drop.[13][14] However, cuts to the food stamp program cut an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states.[14] Enyart voted with 88 other Democraticrepresentatives in favor of the bill.

2014 Budget

On January 15, 2014, the Republican-run House approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014.[15][16] The House voted 359-67 for the 1,582 page bill, with 64 Republicans and three Democrats voting against the bill.[16] The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations.[17] It included a 1 percent increase in the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel, a $1 billion increase in Head Start funding for early childhood education, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, and the protection of the Affordable Care Act from any drastic cuts. Enyart joined with the majority of the Democratic party and voted in favor of the bill.[15][16]

Government shutdown

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[18] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[19] Enyart voted against the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[20]

The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[21] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Enyart voted for HR 2775.[22]

Pay during government shutdown

Enyart said that he is "donating my pay for the duration of this senseless shut-down to a food bank in Southern Illinois and call upon my colleagues in Congress to do the same."[23]

Immigration

Enyart supports the DREAM Act, particularly a provision that would give immigrants who join the military an expedited path to citizenship.[24]

Morton Memos Prohibition

Enyart voted against House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain illegal aliens residing in the United States. The vote largely followed party lines.[10]

Healthcare

Speaking about the health care law, Enyart said "Now are there problems with it? Of course there are problems with it. Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Let’s change the things that are problems and move on."Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag

Healthcare Reform Rules

Enyart voted against House Amendment 450 - Requires Congressional Approval for Any Rules Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The amendment was adopted by the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 227-185. The amendment requires all changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act be approved by Congress before taking effect. The vote was largely along party lines.[10]

Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act

Enyart voted against HR 2009 - Keep the IRS Off Your Healthcare Act of 2013. The bill passed through the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 232-185. The bill would prevent the IRS and Treasury Secretary from enforcing the powers provided to them in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The vote largely followed party lines.[10]

Social issues

Amash amendment

Enyart voted against House Amendment 413 - Prohibits the National Security Agency from Collecting Records Under the Patriot Act. The amendment failed on July 4, 2013, by a vote of 205-217. The amendment would have prohibited the collection of records by the National Security Agency under the Patriot Act. Both parties were split on the vote.[10]

Issues

On The Issues Vote Match

On The Issues conducts a VoteMatch analysis of elected officials based on 20 issue areas. Rather than relying on incumbents to complete the quiz themselves, the VoteMatch analysis is conducted using voting records, statements to the media, debate transcripts or citations from books authored by or about the candidate. Based on the results of the quiz, Enyart is a Liberal Populist. Enyart received a score of 58 percent on social issues and 23 percent on economic issues.[25]

On The Issues organization logo.

The table below contains the results of analysis compiled by staff at On The Issues.

National security

American response in Syria

More than 100 House lawmakers signed a letter urging President Barack Obama to call Congress back into session if he planned to use military force in Syria.[27]

Rep. Scott Rigell wrote in the letter in August 2013, “engaging our military in Syria when no direct threat to the United States exists and without prior congressional authorization would violate the separation of powers that is clearly delineated in the Constitution.”[27][28]

The members of Congress believed that Obama should have asked Congress for permission before engaging in Libya. The letter asked, “If the use of 221 Tomahawk cruise missles, [sic] 704 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, and 42 Predator Hellfire missiles expended in Libya does not constitute ‘hostilities,’ what does?”[28]

The letter stated, “If you deem that military action in Syria is necessary, Congress can reconvene at your request. We stand ready to come back into session, consider the facts before us, and share the burden of decisions made regarding U.S. involvement in the quickly escalating Syrian conflict."[28]

Enyart issued a statement that he "will work tirelessly" against new mandates "that will increase energy costs, and decimate our Southern Illinois coal industry in the process." The 12 counties that make up the 12th Congressional District once comprised the heart of the Illinois coal industry.[29]

Taxes

Enyart has stated his support for raising taxes on higher income individuals. Enyart has said "there is class warfare."[24]

Privacy

Enyart voted against a proposed amendment by Justin Amash (R-MI) that would have defunded warrantless domestic surveillance operations by the National Security Agency.[30]

Veterans' Issues

In October 2013, Enyart was the lone member of Congress to vote against a bill that would have restored chaplain services to military personnel in the wake of the government shutdown of 2013.[31]

Polls

2012

Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Enyart is available dating back to 2012. Based on available campaign finance records, Enyart raised a total of $1,180,463 during that time period. This information was last updated on April 5, 2013.[35]

2012

Breakdown of the source of Enyart's campaign funds before the 2012 election.

Enyart won election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Enyart's campaign committee raised a total of $1,180,463 and spent $1,167,686.[44] This is less than the average $1.5 million spent by House winners in 2012.[45]

PGI: Change in net worth

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Enyart's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $1,591,065 and $4,267,000. That averages to $2,929,032.50, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic representatives in 2012 of $5,700,168.36. Enyart ranked as the 111th most wealthy representative in 2012.[46] Between 2011 and 2012, Enyart's calculated net worth[47] increased by an average of 10 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.[48]

Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.[50]

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

2012

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, Enyart missed 28 of 1,097 roll call votes from January 2013 to July 2014. This amounts to 2.6 percent, which is worse than the median of 2.5 percent among current congressional representatives as of July 2014.[54]

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

2014

Enyart voted with the Democratic Party 88.3 percent of the time, which ranked 168th among the 204 House Democratic members as of July 2014.[55]

2013

William Enyart voted with the Democratic Party 88.6 percent of the time, which ranked 177th among the 201 House Democratic members as of June 2013.[56]

Personal

Enyart and his wife Annette have two sons together.[57] During the 2012 election, opponent Plummer stated that Enyart and his wife, a retired circuit judge, receive a total of three taxpayer-funded pensions. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that while Enyart did not currently receive a pension, his wife does collect on three taxpayer pension funds.[58]

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term William + Enyart + Illinois + House

All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.

↑The questions in the quiz are broken down into two sections -- social and economic. In social questions, liberals and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while conservatives and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictive answers. For the economic questions, conservatives and libertarians agree in choosing the less-government answers, while liberals and populists agree in choosing the more-restrictive answers.